Melawear

PRODUCTION LOCATIONS 

• India
• Sri Lanka

MELA produces most of its garments in India, working directly with trusted partners on-site. Accessories, sneakers, and bags are crafted in Sri Lanka, under MELA’s direct oversight.

WORKING CONDITIONS & LIVING WAGES

Melawear works with Indian suppliers for its genderless T‑shirts, shirts, hair bands, hats and jackets. The brand is Fairtrade, GOTS, and Grüner Knopf certified, so you can be sure that the cotton fields and textile and stitching factories get a fairer wage and can work in better conditions. Melawear is audited annually by FLO CERT experts to ensure compliance with fair trade standards. The brand also states they regularly visit suppliers to confirm labour conditions are respected. 

Melawear wants to reduce inequality in the world through fair trade between India and Europe. With this, the brand aims to actively contribute to the local economy through a Fairtrade premium price, farmer cooperatives receive an extra bonus that can be used to build local infrastructure or schools. Melawear also established a new standard, the ​“Fairtrade Textile Standard”, with partner factory PureCotz in Gujarat, India. This label goes beyond the minimum wage and aims to offer workers a living wage.

MATERIALS 

• GOTS and fair trade certified organic cotton
• Corozonut (for buttons)
• GOLS certified organic rubber
• Roica V550
• Leather

The timeless clothing, comfortable t‑shirts, stylish shirts, backpacks and shoes are made from 100% Fairtrade and GOTS-certified cotton. The buttons of the cotton knitwear are made of Tagua nuts, a natural material.

The brand aims to use monomaterials as much as possible, like organic cotton, so that the clothing is also easier to recycle afterwards.

A minor exception is the shoes, which are difficult to make from just one material. But Melawear also works with lower impact materials for its shoes and sneakers. The shoe soles are made from Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) certified rubber sourced from Sri Lanka. 

Melawear also seeks to reduce the use of plastics, so they will not leave behind microplastics. This goes down to the details, swapping industry standard plastic buttons made to ones made from seeds of corozo palm and cotton threads for sewing. 

The leather used for details in the backpacks and shoes is vegetable-tanned. This means that the leather has been treated with natural materials. A process that takes longer but is much more environmentally friendly than chemical processes.

Instead of using elastane for its socks, the brand uses Roica V550, a polyamide and polyester free fabric. Unlike other synthetic fibres, Roica is partially degradable making it a more progressive material. 

The brand calculated its impact when the Melawear backpack was nominated for the German Sustainability Award. What did it reveal? Using only organic cotton in 2016, the company saved 4,150 kg of CO2 and 6,960,000 litres of water for its 25 000 backpacks.

PACKAGING 

The brand states all shipments are currently done in a cardboard box and sometimes individual items are in a plastic bag to protect the product from moisture and dirt. MELAWEAR states they are actively working to reduce plastic use in their packaging and encourage customers to reuse the plastic bag for practical purposes (like bathroom waste liners) until more sustainable options are available.

WATER USAGE & CHEMICALS 

According to their 2024 Risk Analysis, every production batch is tested for chemical and pH parameters at SGS Chennai, a Swiss-certified lab. The brand also states that dyeing is only done at facilities equipped with effluent treatment plants (ETPs), helping to reduce water pollution. Melawear states they only use reactive dyes in line with GOTS standards, meaning they are not testing on animals and are safe for allergy sensitivities. In the sewing (CMT) stage, garments and fabrics are pre-washed using only pure water, aiming to reduce exposure to harmful chemical residues.

Additionally, as part of its GIZ-supported public-private partnership (PPP), MELAWEAR promotes organic home gardens for rubber tappers in its supply chain, educating workers in wet waste handling and organic growing techniques, a small but thoughtful step toward local environmental protection.

While these are promising steps, the brand does not specify what types of chemicals are screened for in lab tests whether banned substances such as azo dyes, formaldehyde, or heavy metals are part of their internal restricted substance list (RSL). There’s also no mention of how wastewater is treated or reused, nor any data on water consumption across stages like cotton cultivation or dyeing, which could help quantify actual environmental impact.

CIRCULAR PRODUCT DESIGN 

Melawear bases the design of its t‑shirts, pullovers and blouses on the Cradle to Cradle concept. From the design, Melawear thinks about the final destination of the garment. For instance, their socks blend 97% cotton + 3% biodegradable elastane, easy to recycle compared to synthetic mixes.

The brand does not currently offer take‑back, repair, or rental services.

CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODELS 

The brand does not produce seasonal collections. Melawear’s circularity focus is on material design, avoiding blends where possible. Durability and timeless design define Melawear’s products. 

They do not operate recycling, rental, resale, or repair options. 

DISTANCE & COMPLEXITY OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN 

• Production locations: India (Chennai, Madyha Pradesh), Sri Lanka (Galle)
• Melawear HQ is located in Kassel, Germany.

Raw cotton and finished garments are moved from India and Sri Lanka by ship to Germany. However, the distances between raw material producers and the finishing of the products are very short since these occur within the same two countries.

TRANSPORTATION 

Melawear makes an effort to reduce transport-related emissions by avoiding air freight, opting for rail and ship transport where possible, which typically have a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to air freight. The brand only ships to a limited number of neighbouring countries beyond Germany: Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, reducing its impact. 

In their 2024 risk analysis, the brand acknowledges that air travel is among the biggest contributors to a product’s footprint, particularly for heavier items like sneakers. They note that this study served as a valuable training tool to better understand and reduce future CO₂ emissions. This move shows that Melawear is starting to quantify and confront the footprint of its products, laying the foundation for more targeted climate action in the future.

• Leather

This confirms that while the majority of their collection avoids animal materials, they offer a limited range (backpack, sneaker) that includes vegetable-tanned, chrome-free leather, a choice they communicate transparently on product pages.

PRODUCT DESIGN 

MELA offers timeless basics: T‑shirts, shirts, dresses, pants, knitwear, socks, backpacks, and sneakers which are designed to be more durable and unisex-friendly.

SLOW FASHION PROCESSES 

They release two seasonal collections per year and while occasional sales happen, the focus is on affordability through scale and efficiency, not overproduction. 

No made-to-order option is available.

TRANSPARENCY ON PRODUCT 

Most product pages clearly states the material origin, vegan status, and care instructions. Melawear goes a step further in also providing podcasts to deep dive on their processes and material selection, and publish a care guide to encourage consumers ways to prolong the use of their garments. 

These efforts help to guide more mindful choices through an evidence based approach and reduce the need for frequent product replacements. 

TRANSPARENCY ON PROCESSES

Melawear’s site publishes its Risk Analysis, full certifications (Fairtrade, GOTS, Grüner Knopf), and details on their Fairtrade PT pilot, rubber initiatives in Sri Lanka, and supply chain visits.

They do not disclose costing or pricing structures, but do encourage voluntary contributions (MELA+) for feedback on their supply chain practices.